Abohar/Bikaner, July 11 —A a key development in the Sanjay Verma murder case, Punjab Police on Friday arrested three men from Rajasthan’s Bikaner district for allegedly harbouring and aiding the assailants who gunned down the Abohar-based businessman in broad daylight on July 7.
Fazilka Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh said the arrests were made in coordination with the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF). The accused—Inderpal Bishnoi (26), Sandeep Khichad (28), and Pawan Khichad (24)—are all residents of Kuchor village under the jurisdiction of Jagrassar Police Station in Bikaner.
“These individuals not only sheltered the shooters but also helped them avoid arrest by arranging financial and logistical support,” SSP Singh told reporters. “One of the arrested men operates a paying guest accommodation, where the killers reportedly stayed while evading capture.”
While the three alleged accomplices are now in custody and will be produced before court to seek police remand, the prime shooter Shakti Kumar, a resident of the Azimgarh area in Abohar, remains on the run along with two others. Police say the motive behind Verma’s killing will only be conclusively established once Kumar is apprehended.
Friday’s arrests come days after police detained two other suspects—Jaspreet Singh and Ram Ratta—from Patiala. However, both were later killed in a police encounter, raising serious questions about the operation.
Earlier in the day, a post-mortem examination of Jaspreet Singh was conducted at a government hospital under tight security. A three-member medical board carried out the procedure in the presence of a judicial magistrate, with the entire process videographed. Media was not allowed access.
The body was transported to Patiala under escort. Jaspreet’s family, meanwhile, submitted a memorandum to the Patiala Sub-Divisional Magistrate, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the police encounter. The family has so far declined to speak publicly.
With arrests spanning two states and public scrutiny mounting, the case continues to unfold as authorities search for the key suspects and attempt to uncover the motive behind the bold and deadly attack.
